Power of attorney
Power of attorney for legal proceedings and court matters in Dubai
The short answer
A power of attorney for legal proceedings lets someone else act for you in a Dubai court matter: a lawyer who files and pleads your case, or a relative who attends, signs and collects documents while you are abroad. In Dubai it is attested by the Dubai Courts notary public or a private notary, in Arabic, and it only covers the acts written into it.
At a glance
NotaryPublicInDubai.com drafts these POAs, prepares the Arabic, books the notary and follows the document until the agent can use it. Our power of attorney Dubai services start with court matters and also cover property, bank, inheritance and vehicle POAs. This page explains how the court reads a POA, which type you need, what goes wrong, and what it costs. If your POA is for something other than a court or legal matter, such as a property sale or a bank account, we link you to the right guide below.
UAE law recognises a power of attorney (agency, wakala) as general, special, conditional, or deferred to a future time (Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Article 869).
A POA written in general terms gives the agent acts of management only (Article 871). Pleading before a court, settlement, arbitration, sale and mortgage need a special POA that names the act (Article 870).
In Dubai, the POA is attested by the Dubai Courts notary public or a private notary on the Dubai Courts roll, in person or by virtual attendance.
The federal fee to execute or notarise a general or special POA is AED 100 per party (Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, item 9).
There is no single fixed validity period in UAE law. A POA lasts for the term written in it, or until the task is done, a party dies or loses capacity, or the principal revokes it.
3 pages in this hub
Every page in Power of attorney
Service
POA for court cases
A special power of attorney for a court case in Dubai: the powers to list, Arabic wording, notary attestation, and how your lawyer files it with the case.
Service
POA price
Special power of attorney Dubai price explained: the official notary fee per party, our service price, translation and attestation, and worked totals.
Service
Car POA
A limited power of attorney for a car in Dubai covers one vehicle and one job. The acts to list for a sale or transfer, what to bring, and the cost.
How the court reads a power of attorney
Three words come up on every POA. The principal (al muwakkil) is the person giving the authority. The agent (al wakeel) is the person receiving it. The agency (al wakala) is the legal relationship the document creates. On Dubai Courts service pages the document itself is called توكيل, the everyday Arabic word for a POA, while the statute uses وكالة. Both mean the same thing here.
Whether people call it a Dubai court POA, a POA from Dubai Courts or a notary public Dubai power of attorney, the document is read the same way. A court clerk or judge reading your POA asks one question: does this document give this agent this power? They do not guess at your intention. If the act is not written, the agent cannot do it. That is why the drafting matters more than the stamp.
Side by side
General or special: which one a court matter needs
| Question | General POA | Special POA |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Acts of management, if written in general terms (Article 871) | The specific acts listed, such as pleading, settling or selling (Article 870) |
| Can the agent plead before a court? | Only if the act is expressly given | Yes, when the power to plead is named |
| Can the agent settle or accept a settlement? | No, settlement needs a special power | Yes, when named |
| Can the agent administer or accept an oath? | No | Yes, when named |
| Typical use | Day to day administration while you are away | A named case, a named property, a named car |
For legal proceedings, most people need a special POA. Special power of attorney drafting in Dubai starts from the acts the agent must perform, and a general power of attorney in the UAE is right only when the agent will manage, not sell, settle or plead. A lawyer handling your case will usually tell you the powers they need; we write them in so the POA matches what the lawyer asked for. Our court case power of attorney page goes through the powers a litigation POA normally lists, including for personal status and labour matters.
Step by step
Power of attorney for court: step by step
Name the case or the matter.
If there is a case number, we put it in. If the case is not filed yet, we describe the dispute and the court it will go to.
List the powers.
Filing, attending hearings, pleading, appointing and dismissing lawyers, submitting and receiving documents, appealing, settling, receiving money awarded. Each one you leave out is one the agent cannot use.
Prepare the Arabic.
The notarised instrument in Dubai is in Arabic. An English draft is accepted only with an Arabic translation by a certified translator, and both versions are signed (Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, Article 27). We have it done by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice.
Check identities.
The agent's details go in by Emirates ID number, or with a copy of their Emirates ID or passport, as the Dubai Courts POA service asks.
Attest it.
You attend the Dubai Courts notary or a private notary, in person or by virtual attendance, and the notary confirms your identity, capacity and consent. Special POA attestation works the same way across the UAE: the notary checks identity, capacity and consent before attesting.
Hand it to the agent.
The lawyer or relative uses the attested POA at the court. Anyone who needs to rely on it can check it first.
General power of attorney by Dubai Courts: what it will and will not do
Many people ask for a "general power of attorney by Dubai Courts" because it sounds like the widest option. It is wide in scope, but thin in power. Under Article 871 of the Civil Transactions Law, a general agency written in general terms only lets the agent perform acts of management. It does not let them sell your property, settle your claim or plead your case unless those acts are named. If you want one document to cover several matters, the safer course is a POA that is general in scope but names each act that goes beyond management.
Other POA purposes
This site covers the POA where it meets a court or a notary counter. For other purposes, these separate guides at poaindubai.ae go into the detail:
Property power of attorney in Dubai, for selling, buying or managing real estate. We also prepare a real estate power of attorney in Dubai here, such as a POA to sell property or transfer property ownership, a property management POA, or a special power of attorney for real estate, and book the notary for its attestation.
Company power of attorney, for a manager or representative of a business.
Banking power of attorney, for accounts and bank transactions. For a bank POA, drafting and notarization follow the same steps as a court POA: we write the powers the bank asks for, prepare the Arabic and book the notary.
Inheritance power of attorney, for heirs dealing with an estate. A power of attorney for inheritance lets heirs appoint one person to act for them in the estate matter; we draft it and book the notary.
Cancelling a power of attorney, for revocation step by step.
A vehicle power of attorney in the UAE is one we do prepare here. A limited POA that lets someone sell, register or transfer your car is covered on our car power of attorney page. If the RTA asks for a power of attorney, bring the vehicle ownership certificate: Dubai Courts asks for it on a vehicle POA.
01
Which court makes a power of attorney for a business in Dubai
Owners often ask which court makes a power of attorney in Dubai for business. For a company licensed onshore in Dubai, the answer is the same as for a person: it goes to the government notary at Dubai Courts or to one of the private notaries that Dubai Courts licenses. A company registered in the DIFC is the exception. Its matters inside the DIFC go to the notary service of DIFC Courts, which is a separate court system, and an onshore company cannot use that service instead of Dubai Courts.
Three things change when the principal is a company. The person who signs must have the authority to act for the company, so bring the papers that show it, such as the trade licence and the document appointing the signatory. If the POA will be used abroad, MOFAIC files it as a commercial document, which costs AED 2,000 instead of AED 150. And a POA for a company lawsuit still has to name pleading, settlement and every other court act, exactly as a personal one does. Wording for managers and company representatives is covered in the company power of attorney guide.
Arabic, and signing from abroad
The Arabic text is the one the court reads. If your English and Arabic do not say the same thing, the difference can stop the session or start an argument about what the agent may do, so we check both line by line before anyone signs.
If you are outside the UAE, there are three usual ways to sign:
- before an accredited UAE consul where you live, who can perform notarial duties under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 3;
- through a remote session where Dubai Courts or the Ministry of Justice system allows it for your document;
- before a notary in your country, then attestation by that country's foreign ministry, the UAE embassy there, and MOFAIC in the UAE.
The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille on its own does not make a foreign POA usable in Dubai. The attestation chain still applies.
After it is signed: checking, using and cancelling
Checking.
Before a court, a bank or a buyer relies on a POA, they may check it. Our guide to verifying a Dubai Courts document explains how.
Validity.
UAE law has no general fixed validity period. Article 897 ends the agency when the work is done, when the stated term expires, or on the death or loss of capacity of the principal or the agent. Some authorities apply their own acceptance rules for recent POAs, so if your POA is older, we check with the office that will receive it.
Cancelling.
The principal may revoke or restrict the agent's authority at any time, unless the agency protects a third party's right or was made in the agent's interest (Article 898). Revoking the main POA also revokes any sub-agency made under it (Article 903). A litigation agent who acts after learning of the dismissal is liable, but acts done before they knew remain effective (Article 902). That is why the agent must be told. The Dubai Land Department publishes its POA cancellation notarisation as a free service. For a revocation of power of attorney in Dubai, we draft the cancellation and the POA cancellation notice that tells the agent, and book the notary.
Fees
The cost of a power of attorney
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Our service: drafting, Arabic, booking and follow up for a general, special or court case POA | From AED 1,500 |
| Federal fee to execute or notarise a general or special POA | AED 100 per party |
| Through a private notary on the federal schedule | AED 130 per party (AED 100 plus 30 percent) |
| Dubai private notary route | AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature |
| Notarising a translation included in the instrument | AED 50 per page |
| MOFAIC attestation if the POA goes abroad | AED 150 for a personal POA, AED 2,000 for a commercial or general POA |
All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay.
Our power of attorney price guide works through a full total for a typical POA, and the fees page covers every other document.
How we help
How we help
We start from the act the agent must perform and work back to the wording. We draft the powers, match every name to the ID, add the case or asset details, have the Arabic done by a Ministry of Justice registered legal translator and send you the bilingual draft to approve. Then we book the Dubai Courts notary, a private notary or a remote session, tell you what to bring, and stay with the file until the attested POA is in the agent's hands. You attend and sign; the notary attests.
Questions
Questions about POAs for court matters
Does a lawyer need a power of attorney to represent me at Dubai Courts?
In most cases, yes, and it should be a special POA that names pleading before the court, because Article 870 requires a special agency for pleading. Your lawyer will tell you the exact powers; we put them in the document.
Can a relative attend court for me with a power of attorney?
A relative can act for you in the matters the POA names, such as submitting and collecting documents. Whether a non-lawyer can plead depends on the court and the case type.
Is a general power of attorney enough for a court case?
Usually not. A POA in general terms gives acts of management only. Pleading, settlement and oaths must be named.
How long does a court POA stay valid?
Until the term written in it ends, the case is finished, or it is revoked, or on death or loss of capacity. There is no fixed number of years in the law.
Can I cancel the POA I gave my lawyer?
Yes. The principal can revoke at any time, subject to the exceptions in Article 898, and should tell the lawyer, since acts done before they knew still count.
Can I make a POA for a Dubai court case while I am abroad?
Yes. Use a UAE consul, a remote session, or a local notary plus the attestation chain. We tell you which one the court will accept for your case.
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Contact
Start your POA
Call or WhatsApp +971 52 947 5935, or email support@notarypublicindubai.com with the case number or a short description and the name of your agent. We send back the draft wording, the list of documents and your price. Our office is in Business Bay, Dubai. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time). For how the notary side works, read our Dubai Courts notary guide.
NotaryPublicInDubai.com
Business Bay, Dubai, UAE
support@notarypublicindubai.com
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, Civil Transactions Law, agency Articles 866 to 903: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4011
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai, Article 27: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- Dubai Courts, Power of Attorneys Ratification service page (archived 16 March 2023): https://web.archive.org/web/20230316055912/https://www.dc.gov.ae/PublicServices/GessServiceDetails.aspx?lang=en&ServiceCode=G4
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022 on the regulation of the notary profession, Article 3: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024 on notary fees: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai private notary fees, Dubai Courts decision: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- MOFAIC attestation fees (FAQ): https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/faqs
- Dubai Land Department, POA cancellation: https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/request-for-revocation-of-power-of-attorney/
- HCCH Apostille Convention status table: https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
- DIFC Courts notary service: https://www.difccourts.ae/difc-courts/services/notary-service